Born in 1946, he began his studies at the Acting Department of Cracow’s State Drama School in 1964, and graduated in 1969. That same year, he joined the Słowacki Theatre as an actor, and continued working there until 1977. In 1973, he also started his studies at the Drama Directing Department of the Cracow school, and completed them in 1977. He then joined the Norwid Theatre in Jelenia Góra, where he produced the following works: Grochowiak’s Z głębokiej otchłani wołam (I Call From the Deep Abyss; 1977), Marivaux’s Le Jeu de l’amour et du hasard (1978), the children’s poem Szelmostwa Lisa Witalisa (The Wiles of Witalis the Fox) as a cabaret for adults (1978), as well as Fredro’s Damy i Huzary (Ladies and Hussars) at the Słowacki Theatre in Cracow (1978).
In 1978-81 he was a director at the Jaracz Theatre in Łódź. At the start of the 1978/79 season, while still in Jelenia Góra, he directed Gombrowicz’s Princess Ivona (1978). He produced the following works at the theatre in Łódź: Schaeffer’s Kwartet dla czterech aktorów(Quartet for Four Actors; 1979), Mrożek’s Serenada (Serenade), Lis aspirant (The Aspiring Fox) and Polowanie na lisa (The Fox Hunt; 1979), Iredyński’s Dacza (Dacha; 1979), Rzewuski’s Pamiątki Soplicy(Mementoes of Soplica; 1980), Labiche’s Hunting for Sons-in-Law(1980), Gombrowicz’s Trans-Atlantyk (1981). In 1979-81 he also worked at the Kochanowski Theatre in Opole, where he directed the following productions: Beaumarchais’s Marriage of Figaro (1979), Fredro’s Damy i Huzary (1980).
In the 1981-82 season he was director and artistic manager of the Polski Theatre in Poznań. He directed four productions at this theatre: Rolland’s Les Loups (1981), Schaeffer’s Kwartet dla czterech aktorów(1981), Rzewuski’s Listopad (November; 1982), and Słowacki’s Fantazy (1982). In 1982-85, he held the same post at the Słowacki Theatre in Cracow, where he staged the following productions: Schaeffer’sKwartet dla czterech aktorów (1982), Gombrowicz’s Trans-Atlantyk (1982), Rzewuski’s Listopad (1983), Krasiński’s Irydion (1983), Wyspiański’s Wesele (The Wedding; 1984), Kazantsev’s Zanim się przerwie srebrny sznur (Before the Silver Rope Breaks; 1985). He also worked as a director at the Ludowy Theatre in Nowa Huta for three seasons (1985-88), staging the following works: Mrożek’ s Pieszo (On Foot; 1986), Gogol’s Inspector General (1987), and Słowacki’s Fantazy (1987). In 1988 he returned to the Jaracz Theatre in Łódź, where he directed works including Słobodzianek’s Obywatel Pekosiewicz (Citizen Pekosiewicz; 1989).
He returned to the Słowacki Theatre in 1991, where he directed: Nowakowski’s Obóz wszystkich świętych(Camp of All Saints; 1991), then Fredro’s Damy i Huzary (1992), Witkiewicz’s Pożegnanie jesieni (Farewell to Autumn; 1993), Chekhov’s Cherry Orchard (1994), Zesłanie, czyli carski kabaret (Exile, or a Tsarist Cabaret) based on Wolicki (1994), Kitowicz’s Opis obyczajów, cz. II (Description of Customs, Part 2; 1996), Słobodzianek’s Obywatel Pekoś (1997), and Frisch’s Firebugs (1997). He has been working on a regular basis with the STU Theatre in Cracow since 1987, directing and acting in his own productions, which include: Schaeffer’s Scenariusz dla trzech aktorów (Script for Three Actors; 1987), Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1988), Kitowicz’s Opis obyczajów (1990), Schaeffer’s Próby (Rehearsals; 1991), Tolstoy’sKreutzer Sonata (1998), Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1999). He has been the theatre’s artistic director (together with Krzysztof Jasiński) since the 1997/98 season, and artistic director of the Nowy Theatre in Łódź since the 1999/2000 season. He has produced two plays at this last theatre: Słobodzianek’s Prorok Ilja (Prophet Ilya; 1999) and Shakespeare’s King Lear (2000). In the 1988/89 and 1989/90 seasons he worked with the Pantheater Kampnagel in Hamburg, where he directed Mrożek’sEmigranci (Emigrants) and Schaeffer’s Kwartet dla czterech aktorów (Quartet for Four Actors).
He has prepared numerous television productions, both new spectacles and repeat performances of earlier theatre productions, including Rzewuski’s Pamiątki Soplicy (1983), Schaeffer’s Kwartet dla czterech aktorów (1984), Krasiński’s Irydion (1984), Schaeffer’s Scenariusz dla trzech aktorów (1988), Gombrowicz’s Trans-Atlantyk (1990), Kitowicz’s Opis obyczajów (1990), Słobodzianek’s Obywatel Pekosiewicz (1991), Schaeffer’s Próby (1992). Productions created specially for television include: Śliwa and Zieliński’s Ostatnie lato albo pierwsza pieczęć (The Last Summer or the First Seal; 1988), Kto tu wpuścił dziennikarzy (Who Let In the Reporters) based on Miller (1991), Woolf’s Paper Flowers (1993), Burnett’s Little Lord Fauntleroy (1993), Ilf and Petrov’s Gorące uczucie (Passionate Feeling; 1993),Zwierzoczłekoupiór (Animal-Human-Spectre) based on Konwicki (1994), Rzewuski’s Listopad (1995), and Gombrowicz’s Dzienniki (Journals; 1996).
He has written the adaptations for his productions on many occasions, and often acted in them as well. Grabowski has won numerous awards, including the Grand Prix and the Main Prize of the Ministry of Culture and Art at the Festival of Small Forms in Szczecin for his production of Schaeffer’s Kwartet dla czterech aktorów (1980); the Konrad Swinarski Award from Teatr monthly for the whole of his artistic output (1981); first prize at the Polish Classics Theatre Festival in Opole for directing Krasiński’s Irydion (1984); the Grand Prix and other awards for directing Schaeffer’s Scenariusz dla trzech aktorów, at the Festival of Small Forms in Szczecin (1987); Special Prize for Schaeffer’s Scenariusz dla trzech aktorów, at the Polish Contemporary Drama Festival in Wrocław (1987); the Grand Prix for Kitowicz’s Opis obyczajów at the Festival of Small Forms in Szczecin (1990); the judges’ prize at the Polish Classics Theatre Festival in Opole for his theatrical adaptation of Opis obyczajów, cz. II (1996); Grand Prix from the Minister of Culture of Art and the judges of the Contemporary Drama Competition, for directing Słobodzianek’s Obywatel Pekoś (2000). He has been with the State Drama School in Cracow since 1985, working at the Drama Directing Department and the Acting Department. He obtained the title of assistant professor in 1990, and became a professor in 1994. In 1995 the Polish President awarded him the title of professor of theatrical arts. He has been dean of the Drama Directing Department of the Cracow school since 1998. In February 2001, he prepared a Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera production of Moniuszko’s Haunted Manor.